History of King John

King John. Here once again we sit, once again crown'd,
And looked upon, I hope, with cheerful eyes.

Pembroke. This 'once again,' but that your highness pleased,
1730Was once superfluous: you were crown'd before,
And that high royalty was ne'er pluck'd off,
The faiths of men ne'er stained with revolt;
Fresh expectation troubled not the land
With any long'd-for change or better state.
1735

Salisbury. Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
1740Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Pembroke. But that your royal pleasure must be done,
This act is as an ancient tale new told,
1745And in the last repeating troublesome,
Being urged at a time unseasonable.

Salisbury. In this the antique and well noted face
Of plain old form is much disfigured;
And, like a shifted wind unto a sail,
1750It makes the course of thoughts to fetch about,
Startles and frights consideration,
Makes sound opinion sick and truth suspected,
For putting on so new a fashion'd robe.

Pembroke. When workmen strive to do better than well,
1755They do confound their skill in covetousness;
And oftentimes excusing of a fault
Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse,
As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault
1760Than did the fault before it was so patch'd.

Salisbury. To this effect, before you were new crown'd,
We breathed our counsel: but it pleased your highness
To overbear it, and we are all well pleased,
Since all and every part of what we would
1765Doth make a stand at what your highness will.

King John. Some reasons of this double coronation
I have possess'd you with and think them strong;
And more, more strong, then lesser is my fear,
I shall indue you with: meantime but ask
1770What you would have reform'd that is not well,
And well shall you perceive how willingly
I will both hear and grant you your requests.

Pembroke. Then I, as one that am the tongue of these,
To sound the purpose of all their hearts,
1775Both for myself and them, but, chief of all,
Your safety, for the which myself and them
Bend their best studies, heartily request
The enfranchisement of Arthur; whose restraint
Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent
1780To break into this dangerous argument,—
If what in rest you have in right you hold,
Why then your fears, which, as they say, attend
The steps of wrong, should move you to mew up
Your tender kinsman and to choke his days
1785With barbarous ignorance and deny his youth
The rich advantage of good exercise?
That the time's enemies may not have this
To grace occasions, let it be our suit
That you have bid us ask his liberty;
1790Which for our goods we do no further ask
Than whereupon our weal, on you depending,
Counts it your weal he have his liberty.

[Enter HUBERT]

King John. Let it be so: I do commit his youth
1795To your direction. Hubert, what news with you?

[Taking him apart]

Pembroke. This is the man should do the bloody deed;
He show'd his warrant to a friend of mine:
The image of a wicked heinous fault
1800Lives in his eye; that close aspect of his
Does show the mood of a much troubled breast;
And I do fearfully believe 'tis done,
What we so fear'd he had a charge to do.

Salisbury. The colour of the king doth come and go
1805Between his purpose and his conscience,
Like heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles set:
His passion is so ripe, it needs must break.

Pembroke. And when it breaks, I fear will issue thence
The foul corruption of a sweet child's death.
1810

King John. We cannot hold mortality's strong hand:
Good lords, although my will to give is living,
The suit which you demand is gone and dead:
He tells us Arthur is deceased to-night.

Pembroke. Indeed we heard how near his death he was
Before the child himself felt he was sick:
This must be answer'd either here or hence.

King John. Why do you bend such solemn brows on me?
Think you I bear the shears of destiny?
1820Have I commandment on the pulse of life?

Salisbury. It is apparent foul play; and 'tis shame
That greatness should so grossly offer it:
So thrive it in your game! and so, farewell.

Pembroke. Stay yet, Lord Salisbury; I'll go with thee,
1825And find the inheritance of this poor child,
His little kingdom of a forced grave.
That blood which owed the breadth of all this isle,
Three foot of it doth hold: bad world the while!
This must not be thus borne: this will break out
1830To all our sorrows, and ere long I doubt.

[Exeunt Lords]

King John. They burn in indignation. I repent:
There is no sure foundation set on blood,
No certain life achieved by others' death.
1835[Enter a Messenger]A fearful eye thou hast: where is that blood
That I have seen inhabit in those cheeks?
So foul a sky clears not without a storm:
Pour down thy weather: how goes all in France?
1840

Messenger. From France to England. Never such a power
For any foreign preparation
Was levied in the body of a land.
The copy of your speed is learn'd by them;
For when you should be told they do prepare,
1845The tidings come that they are all arrived.

King John. O, where hath our intelligence been drunk?
Where hath it slept? Where is my mother's care,
That such an army could be drawn in France,
And she not hear of it?
1850

Messenger. My liege, her ear
Is stopp'd with dust; the first of April died
Your noble mother: and, as I hear, my lord,
The Lady Constance in a frenzy died
Three days before: but this from rumour's tongue
1855I idly heard; if true or false I know not.

King John. Withhold thy speed, dreadful occasion!
O, make a league with me, till I have pleased
My discontented peers! What! mother dead!
How wildly then walks my estate in France!
1860Under whose conduct came those powers of France
That thou for truth givest out are landed here?

King John. Thou hast made me giddy
With these ill tidings.
1865[Enter the BASTARD and PETER of Pomfret]Now, what says the world
To your proceedings? do not seek to stuff
My head with more ill news, for it is full.

Philip the Bastard. But if you be afeard to hear the worst,
1870Then let the worst unheard fall on your bead.

King John. Bear with me cousin, for I was amazed
Under the tide: but now I breathe again
Aloft the flood, and can give audience
To any tongue, speak it of what it will.
1875

Philip the Bastard. How I have sped among the clergymen,
The sums I have collected shall express.
But as I travell'd hither through the land,
I find the people strangely fantasied;
Possess'd with rumours, full of idle dreams,
1880Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear:
And here a prophet, that I brought with me
From forth the streets of Pomfret, whom I found
With many hundreds treading on his heels;
To whom he sung, in rude harsh-sounding rhymes,
1885That, ere the next Ascension-day at noon,
Your highness should deliver up your crown.

King John. Hubert, away with him; imprison him;
1890And on that day at noon whereon he says
I shall yield up my crown, let him be hang'd.
Deliver him to safety; and return,
For I must use thee.
[Exeunt HUBERT with PETER]1895O my gentle cousin,
Hear'st thou the news abroad, who are arrived?

Philip the Bastard. The French, my lord; men's mouths are full of it:
Besides, I met Lord Bigot and Lord Salisbury,
With eyes as red as new-enkindled fire,
1900And others more, going to seek the grave
Of Arthur, who they say is kill'd to-night
On your suggestion.

King John. Gentle kinsman, go,
And thrust thyself into their companies:
1905I have a way to win their loves again;
Bring them before me.

King John. Nay, but make haste; the better foot before.
O, let me have no subject enemies,
1910When adverse foreigners affright my towns
With dreadful pomp of stout invasion!
Be Mercury, set feathers to thy heels,
And fly like thought from them to me again.

Hubert de Burgh. Old men and beldams in the streets
Do prophesy upon it dangerously:
1930Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths:
And when they talk of him, they shake their heads
And whisper one another in the ear;
And he that speaks doth gripe the hearer's wrist,
Whilst he that hears makes fearful action,
1935With wrinkled brows, with nods, with rolling eyes.
I saw a smith stand with his hammer, thus,
The whilst his iron did on the anvil cool,
With open mouth swallowing a tailor's news;
Who, with his shears and measure in his hand,
1940Standing on slippers, which his nimble haste
Had falsely thrust upon contrary feet,
Told of a many thousand warlike French
That were embattailed and rank'd in Kent:
Another lean unwash'd artificer
1945Cuts off his tale and talks of Arthur's death.

King John. Why seek'st thou to possess me with these fears?
Why urgest thou so oft young Arthur's death?
Thy hand hath murder'd him: I had a mighty cause
To wish him dead, but thou hadst none to kill him.
1950

King John. It is the curse of kings to be attended
By slaves that take their humours for a warrant
To break within the bloody house of life,
And on the winking of authority
1955To understand a law, to know the meaning
Of dangerous majesty, when perchance it frowns
More upon humour than advised respect.

King John. O, when the last account 'twixt heaven and earth
1960Is to be made, then shall this hand and seal
Witness against us to damnation!
How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds
Make deeds ill done! Hadst not thou been by,
A fellow by the hand of nature mark'd,
1965Quoted and sign'd to do a deed of shame,
This murder had not come into my mind:
But taking note of thy abhorr'd aspect,
Finding thee fit for bloody villany,
Apt, liable to be employ'd in danger,
1970I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death;
And thou, to be endeared to a king,
Made it no conscience to destroy a prince.

King John. Hadst thou but shook thy head or made a pause
1975When I spake darkly what I purposed,
Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face,
As bid me tell my tale in express words,
Deep shame had struck me dumb, made me break off,
And those thy fears might have wrought fears in me:
1980But thou didst understand me by my signs
And didst in signs again parley with sin;
Yea, without stop, didst let thy heart consent,
And consequently thy rude hand to act
The deed, which both our tongues held vile to name.
1985Out of my sight, and never see me more!
My nobles leave me; and my state is braved,
Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign powers:
Nay, in the body of this fleshly land,
This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath,
1990Hostility and civil tumult reigns
Between my conscience and my cousin's death.

Hubert de Burgh. Arm you against your other enemies,
I'll make a peace between your soul and you.
Young Arthur is alive: this hand of mine
1995Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand,
Not painted with the crimson spots of blood.
Within this bosom never enter'd yet
The dreadful motion of a murderous thought;
And you have slander'd nature in my form,
2000Which, howsoever rude exteriorly,
Is yet the cover of a fairer mind
Than to be butcher of an innocent child.

King John. Doth Arthur live? O, haste thee to the peers,
Throw this report on their incensed rage,
2005And make them tame to their obedience!
Forgive the comment that my passion made
Upon thy feature; for my rage was blind,
And foul imaginary eyes of blood
Presented thee more hideous than thou art.
2010O, answer not, but to my closet bring
The angry lords with all expedient haste.
I conjure thee but slowly; run more fast.